Scent of the Higgs
by uebermensch
Summary: Based on E!News video of Eliza Dooley. What happens when a grumpy but well-dressed executive catches his beautiful friend and best sales rep leaning into him for a deep whiff. Eliza is no longer on TeamFreddy, and Henry is kicking kale on TeamSalad. E!NEWS VIDEO at instagram . com / p / u 0WGKsyte
1. He smells kinda nice

**SCENT OF THE HIGGS**

Summary: Based on this video of Eliza Dooley for E!News. What happens when a grumpy but well-dressed executive catches his beautiful friend and best sales rep leaning into him for a deep whiff. Eliza is no longer on TeamFreddy, and Henry is kicking kale on TeamSalad.

I miss seeing Heliza and their friendship, and I'm borrowing Emily Kapnek's characters for awhile, despite the show's early cancellation. COMPLETE one-shot that's independent of my other Selfie stories.

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Chapter 1 of 2 : He smells kinda nice

In an interview with a local networking group of sales reps in Los Angeles, Eliza Dooley of KinderKare Pharmaceuticals was asked about the people with whom she worked:

 _"I don't really think about people as my co-workers, because nobody can do what I do. But in terms of the people who are in the same building as me, a lot of them smell. Henry aside though, he doesn't smell. He actually smells kinda nice ... whatever ... what was I talking about?"_

It was amazing what he discovered when he stopped to pay attention to something other than work. Perhaps, he was thrown off by the fact she drove him crazy when she stopped by his office at least three times a day. Truth told, he always had a little smile when she'd throw full caution and, naturally, a part of his working day out into the wind with new consumer products on the web. Occasionally, she'd surprise him with her sales reports in their unofficial setting; she once told him it was so boring to present her results and show her awesomeness to people who didn't care. He told her he cared. She replied she knew. It was most definitely a good thing.

Over the last few days, he'd been puzzled about why she'd begun standing so close to him. He arrived eventually to the big realization, and of course, his powers of deduction were aided after finding video interviews of various sales reps from pharmaceutical companies based in southern California. He saw "sales rep" and "pharm", and his mind immediately leapt to Eliza. Among the other interviews, there were no new industry secrets (which he already knew) or other salacious details (which he wouldn't have known). He clicked on Eliza's interview which had been produced some time before her haircut. If the latter alone hadn't been amazing, what and how she said in her 12-second clip had been mindblowing.

Above all, Henry could not mistake the glow of distracted pleasure on her face when she spoke about him.

But yesterday had been the clincher.

With a fresh cup of coffee retrieved from the break room, he headed back to the office. He saw Eliza at the other end of the hall heading his way, her eyes down, and tapping away on her iPhone. They got to within a few feet when she suddenly looked up from her phone and directly at him. It'd been uncanny; it was as if she knew it was him all along.

 _What the? Did she …?_

He caught the flustered look on her face before she mumbled his name and beat a hasty retreat.

 _No way. It couldn't be. I've gotta be seeing things, seeing things only I want to see. Eliza walked right up to me, looked me in the eyes, and took a deep breath. She wanted to know my scent. And … and she liked it._

That put a big smile on his face, one that lasted to the end of the day. One that prompted some in the bullpen to ask him if he was doing all right, so unaccustomed to seeing this smiley side of him.

After the following weekend passed with little contact aside from a brief phone conversation about the quirks between online and in-person shopping, he plunged headfirst into a new work week. Nothing happened. He admitted he was a little disappointed she was no longer getting "up close and personal."

 _Perhaps she figured it out, and she'd had enough._

But the end of Tuesday had been a noticeable departure. Finally leaving, Henry made his way into the elevator at around 7, but was surprised to see Eliza running into the elevator as soon as he stepped inside. _What in the world? What was she still doing here this late?_ They were the only two in the elevator, but she stood very close to him. He thought she was acting weird, but when he turned to face her, her eyes were closed and she looked a picture of bliss.

"Eliza?"

Realizing she'd been caught, she opened her eyes and looked like a deer caught in headlights. Mercifully, the elevator doors opened. He called her name to stop, but she was gone.

 _That was weird. Even for her. Wait. Was she waiting for me? No way …_

The following day, Henry and Eliza sat in his office for their regularly scheduled lunch. He didn't think she'd come, but he had long learned that what she liked about him was their established routine, one developed after many lunches. Some lunches occurred standing together, some of them seated across from each other in the break room, and some of them seated next to each other on the couch in his office. After stilted attempts at conversation, he'd had enough. He lost his appetite and put down his Tupperware container. He sipped from a water glass to clean his palate, and cleared his throat.

"Eliza, I understand you think I smell nice." Henry said, getting right to the point.

She lifted the granola bar halfway when she stopped and turned to him. "What?"

"I'm of the understanding, that you think I smell nice."

"I don't know what you're talking about ..."

"Please, Eliza, I can access the internet, too. You taught me that. Besides, I've seen the video."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I saw the video."

"What video?"

"The one where you're being interviewed among other sales reps here in Los Angeles. You've been holding out on me."

"Oh that." She was trying to get off this topic, her tone as if this was N-B-D. "Yeah, well, I rocked it like Taylor, like the time we saw her at the Staples Center ..."

He narrowed his eyes. "Okaaaaay. By the way, I still don't understand to this day why you invited me to see Taylor Swift."

"You had fun, didn't you? Maybe the lighting wasn't the best, but I could've sworn I saw a smile on your face."

"Haha. I can tell you're mocking me."

"But?"

"No 'but'. You're right; I had fun." _Actually, I enjoyed watching you as much as I enjoyed the musical spectacle._

"I know you did, Henry. I was there, too."

"Could we get back to our little discussion?"

"You were discussing. I was avoiding ..."

"Oh no, Eliza. No, you're not gonna avoid talking about this." She made a face, pointedly indicating she wanted nothing further with this conversation. "In fact," he said, "I'd like you to tell me more. You know, about how I smell nice."

"Are you enjoying this, Henry? Because I can assure you that I am not."

"I may be crap at lying, but that, Eliza, was a particularly awful lie."

"What?" It alarmed her how well she had rubbed off on him. _Or the fact I want to rub my body all over him. What? No! Bad Eliza!_

"I know you're lying, Eliza. So, why don't you stop the charade, and tell me what is going on."


	2. The entire wing of the office

Chapter 2 of 2 : The entire wing of the office

 _"Morning, Eliza ... if you wanna go by unnoticed, you might wanna try a milder fragrance with fewer notes of cotton candy."_

 _Eliza gasped. "You noticed ...!"_

"… _As did the entire left wing of this office …"_

"I know you're lying," Henry said to Eliza. "So, why don't you stop the charade, and tell me what is going on."

Throughout the time he'd known her, he'd also learned about her looks and her tells. When she was happy, sad, or pissed; when she was mocking his 'old man' ways; when she was serious about work; when she was pensive; when she cast a wistful glance his way. The look she wore now was a mix of guilt and a little embarrassment at having been caught.

"Okay. Well, last week, I came in early one morning after SoulCycle …"

"… Which was the subject of a damning report in the Business Insider last year …"

"Whatevs. Anyway, I forgot breakfast, and I was on the prowl 'supes hungs' …"

"Eliza, please tell me you didn't …"

"No, I didn't steal any of Joan's food. I took Raj's chicken-salad sandwich instead …"

"Aw geez, Eliza …"

"Point bees, I was about to dig in when I caught your scent."

"My scent?"

"It bugged the crap outta me the entire morning, until I stopped by your office later to bug the crap outta you."

"No surprise there …"

"And that's when I realized it was your cologne I detected earlier that morning. Guess I just missed you."

Aside from **that** delicious double meaning, he wondered if this hangup of hers didn't go way back. "How did you know it was my …? Oh, you know what. It goes back to my jacket, doesn't it."

"Yeah, it's you. I mean, your jacket …" Her thoughts betrayed her, because she wore a dreamy distant look, quickly followed by one mixed with trouble and regret.

"You know, Eliza," he said, breaking her out of the traitorous thoughts. "I've been wearing this scent on most workdays, for as long as we've known each other."

"I guess I started paying attention."

Letting **that** loaded statement go for the time being, there was another question he needed to ask. "When did you finally catch on?"

"In the elevator, the other day. I was legit overwhelmed …"

"Yeah, it was just the two of us, and unusually, even for you, you stood really close to me."

"Yes, hard as it is for me to admit, but your cologne, whatever it is, has been driving me batshit crazy to distraction."

"Explains why you've been coming by my office even more, if that's possible, and standing close to me …"

"Yeah, fact is, Henry, you smell really good."

He grinned, staring at her for a full quiet minute.

"Oh well ..." she said, breaking the awkward silence.

"No, not 'oh well'; never 'oh well' ..." He repeated the same phrase uttered in Saperstein's office when all three considered how baby diaper cream could be marketed into "Butt Eyes" for new moms. He never told Eliza he actually liked "Butt Eyes," even if it was a terrible marketing device.

"Okay. So now what?"

"If you want a good whiff, just lean in."

"What?"

"Yeah, I'm telling you: come right up and get a good sample." _Where was this courage coming from?_

"Are you trying to come on to me, Henry? Because straight up, it's kinda lame …" _What? No! Why did I say that?_

"Come on, I dare you, Eliza. I'm giving you a challenge. Since when have you ever said no to a challenge?"

"Yeah, but …"

"Do you trust me?"

"I do."

"Okay." Squeezing her arm in reassurance, he got up and closed the office door. "You can have as much of me … I mean … my scent."

Eliza definitely picked up on that little gem of a slip, but she said nothing. Instead, she tossed the granola bar wrapper into the trash can and, slowly and carefully, she stood and stepped inside his personal space. Closing her eyes, she leaned forward, and took a deep breath.

Natural. Comforting. Like nothing would ever hurt her. Like a promise he would never hurt her again. Wood, of course, but there were earthy tones, too. Like a walk through coastal Redwoods after a spring rain, a memory from years ago when Mom and Dad had taken Bethany and her for a short holiday in Northern California. The ocean, a hint of the deep salt sea, a warm breeze sweeping up and over, carrying her, like she was flying. All this spoke of Henry.

 _Soooooo goooood._ Her eyes were closed, lingering and savoring and following him. But the proximity was intoxicating, and she felt herself falling. To steady herself, she reached and grabbed onto his arms.

Henry caught her before she fell, holding her by the waist, tight against his body.

She opened her eyes to find his smolder trained fully on her: deep concern mixed with something very intense.

"Whoa. Thanks, Henry …"

"I want you to know … that you smell really good, too."

"Uhm, what?"

"You smell great. I know you've cut down on the volume of body spray, because I can no longer detect it from the entire left wing of the office. But I think … " He leaned forward, right up against her ear and under her neck, the closeness forcing an upswell of a hot charged feel for Eliza. "Yessssss …" And the vibrating sound he was making in the affirmative was sending ripples of sexual energy up and down her spine. "I smell cotton candy, of course, but I also smell definite hints of cherry … and vanilla."

 _Oh-em-gee_ , she marveled. _He's describing me like an ice cream sundae with a cherry on top. Like he wants me, like he wants to eat me._

He closed the silent deal he made with himself, and began closing what little distance remained between them. "And from now on, you are more than welcome to enjoy my scent. As much as you want."

No more delays. No more longing. No more waiting.

Simultaneously, Eliza and Henry converged: a meeting of minds (of course), and a meeting of mouths (finally). They breathed deep from another, hungry for the other, free with relief; laughing with joy, in the breaks when their lips weren't locked; their hands released from their own self-imposed shackles, restless and ready to touch, wander, stroke, and tease.

 _Old habits die hard_ , Eliza thought. She took out her iPhone to tweet and `gram this moment for Internet posterity.

"Please, no." He stilled her hand. "Not yet."

"But whe-e-e-e-en?" She whined, sticking out her lower lip for full effect.

"I want this moment to be about us. I don't want to share this with everybody just yet."

"But how will my followers know about my new status?"

"Oh? Do tell, Eliza; I'm very interested. What **is** your new status?"

She stared at him, a smirk aside to soften the blow. "The only follower I care about is the one standing in front of me."

"This coming from the woman who's got over one hundred thousand followers. Besides, how would you know I'm following you?"

"Because I got a hold of your phone one day …"

"… of course you did …"

"… and I made sure I installed every social media you didn't already have, and I made sure you were following me."

"Really?"

"Why hello, my name is Eliza - have you met me?"

"Well, it's a good thing I'm no ordinary follow-whore ..."

"Absolutely not. But seriously, you do know what I mean, right?"

He chuckled. "I do. But how you push my buttons all too well. In a good way, of course. Well, most of the time …"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"What I mean is that it cuts both ways …"

 _Grumpy cat pushes all of my buttons, but I'm not giving him any satisfaction._ "Whatevs! Just so you know, you drive me crazy, with your mad sweet cologne, and your …"

"Crazy horse-riding antics?"

"That, too. But it's how you see me, through all the hashtag window dressing, despite the crazy stuff I've pulled and done."

"Eliza, you see me, too. From day one, you broke down the walls I'd spent years putting up. I'm a better person when you're by my side."

Drunk with his scent, she leaned forward for a peck on his chin, before she buried herself in his embrace. Truth told, his cologne and her memories were getting her to think up ways of breaking into his house and stealing his jacket. Because next time, she'd be ready. She wanted to surprise him by reliving **that** epic elevator scene, but with a very different twist and a fully satisfying conclusion for them both.

"I think that … you've always been totally adorbs, and you're a lot more fun when I'm around. But don't think this gets you out of future snuggle time."

"No no, I would never think that. Besides, I think we can sacrifice a little bit for something a whole lot better."

"What's that?"

"This." He stopped talking.

She didn't mind that at all.


End file.
